Distributing apparatus for beer



(No Model.)

J. HARTIN.

DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS FOR BEER.

Patented Apr. 4,1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HARTIN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS FOR BEER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,634, dated April 4, 1893.

Application filed October 7, 1892. Serial No. 448,111. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Distributing Apparatuses for Beer, 850., of which the following is a full specification.

My invention consists of an improved apparatus especially designed for the use and convenience of bar tenders for economically distributing lager beer, ale 850. to various parts of the bar.

It consists especially of several chambers having connections provided with suitable faucets so that the said chambers which are in connection with the barrels in the cellar may either be in communication with each other where the same article is being sold, or the said chambers may each be independent of the other where different articles are sold, as for instance, different classes of beer, ale, &c., by operating the faucets as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates my invention, the figure illustrates in plan View a distributing apparatus embodying my invention.

.A, B, D and E represent reservoirs into which beer or other liquid flows from separate supply barrels in the cellar and from which reservoirs in turn it is distributed to various parts of the bar, passing through cooling coils located between the reservoirs and the faucets in the bar. The said chambers or reservoirs communicate with their respective sources of supply through the supply pipes A, B, D and E which are provided with suitable faucets A B D and E Distributing pipes A B D and E lead respectively from the chambers or reservoirs A, B, D and E to various parts of the bar and are provided with suitable faucets A, B D and E The chambers A and B are in communication with one another through the pipe a controlled by the faucet a; D and E are in communication with one another through the pipe (1 controlled by the faucet d; and the chamber 0 which is provided for a purpose hereinafter explained, is connected with the chambers B and D respectively by the pipes b and 0 controlled by the faucets b' and c.

e represents a discharge outlet from the chamber E, having a suitable faucet e.

W hen the same article is being distributed in the bar the faucets a, b, c and d can be opened and the said reservoirs thrown into communication with each other and one barrel emptied at a time through its respective pipe, the faucets in the other supply pipes communicating with the sources of supply being closed; and when the said barrel is emptied, the faucet in its supply pipe can be closed and a faucet in one of the other sup ply pipes opened so as to draw the beer from the barrel of that pipe. The barrel emptied can be removed and a full barrel put in its place ready for use. Where, however, different articles are sold as ale and beer and it is not desired to mix the same, the faucets between the reservoirs can be closed and each reservoir constitute a separate means for distributing the article to diflerent parts of the bar, or should it be desired to mix ale and beer it can be done by opening the faucets between the chambers which contain said beer and ale.

When it is desired to clean out one side of the apparatus as the chambers D and E, and keep the other side, chambersAand B in use,

the faucet b is closedso as to close communication between the chambers B and C and the faucets c and d are opened and also the faucets D and E faucets D and E in the distributing pipes D and E being closed.

To the chamber 0 there is connected a fancet controlled water supply pipe 0' having a suitable faucet O and pipe 0 for supplying a solution of soda and having a suitable faucet C and an air supply pipe 0 having a suitable faucet C Now when it is desired to clean one side of the apparatus as before stated, as for instance chambers D and E, the faucets are regulated as above stated and air from an air pressure chamber M passes through the pipe G into the chamber 0 by opening the faucet 0 down into chambers D and E and backward through the pipes D and E, so as to drive any sediment or other article back into the barrel from which it was originally drawn. If desired further to clean the apparatus, a solution of soda can be forced through the pipe 0 by opening the faucet 0', into the chambers D and E and back through the pipes D and E. Finally water, by opening the faucet C can be forced through the pipe C into the chambers O, D and E and back through the pipes D and E so as to clean out this part of the apparatus thoroughly; chambers A and B being in active operation during the'cleansing of this side of the apparatus. The pipes D and E can be likewise cleaned by opening the faucets D and E and closing the faucets D and E in the supply pipes. The chambers A and B and their respective supply and distributing pipes can be cleaned out in a similar manner by opening the faucets b and a at the same time closing the faucet 0 so as to permit the chambers D and E to be in active operation to supply the bar. \Vhen business is closed for the day, of course allthe reservoirs and pipes can be cleaned out in a similar manner to that described for the chambers D and E, all the faucets a, Z), c and (1 being open and also the faucets A B D and E to allow cleansing back through the pipes A, B, D and E. The distributing pipesA B D and E can be cleaned out by closing the faucets A B D and E the faucets at the end of the pipes in the bar being open to allow said cleansing. In fact, I find in practice that in cleaning the reservoirs and pipes backward into the barrels in the cellar that as the said barrels are sufficiently filled to create a pressure in said barrels, then the faucets in the cleansing pipes are closed and the pressure in the said barrels forces the liquid in the barrels forward through the supply pipes into the reservoirs and then out through the distributing pipes, and finally through the faucets in the bar which are open to allow the cleansing liquid to pass.

An air chamber M is provided with the pipes IWIQM M and M communicatingrespectively with the sources of liquor supply with which the pipes A, B D and E are in communication, the said air pipes having suitable faucets m, m m and m. Said air chamber receives its pressure through a suitable faucet controlled pipe N. If desired any of the chambers may be provided with two sources of supply and two distributing pipes, each supply pipe being in communication with a separate source of liquor supply, for instance, as shown in the drawing, reservoir A may have two supply pipes A and A provided with suitable faucets A and A, each of said pipes being in communication with a separate barrel and two distributing pipes A and A having suitable faucets A and A. This arrangement would be very desirable where the adj acent chambers were supplying different articles and it was not desired to mix the same, so that while beer or other article is being supplied by one barrel to one chamber, the attendant in the store-room sees that as one barrel is emptied the other barrel is put into communication with the other supply pipe; said emptied barrel is then removed and a full barrel put in its place. Of course, any of the distributing pipes can be used or not used by operating their respective faucets, and as before stated liquors can be mixed by opening connections between the reservoirs. The mixing of the liquors as to proportions can be regulated by altering the positions of the air faucets or the air pressure pipes so that the liquors can be mixed in any desired proportions.

Having thus ascertained the nature and set forth the construction of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

In a distributing apparatus for beer &c., the combination with a series of reservoirs, of one or more faucet controlled supply pipes connecting each reservoir with a separate source of liquor supply, one or more faucet controlled distributing pipes connecting each of said reservoirs with various parts of the bar, and faucet controlled connections be- September, 1892.

JOHN I'IARTIN. lVitnesses:

E. L. HARLOW, A. F. ACTON. 

